March 21, 2017 - Sunday was the Third Sunday in Lent. It was a foggy morning as I headed to the metropolitan area known as Paxton. We had a wonderful Sunday school class: Fannie had us thinking. The title of the lesson was “God’s Love Manifested.” The scripture was John 15:1-17, in which Jesus says that he is the vine and God is the vineyard keeper. We are the many branches that must produce fruit. He reminds his disciples that they are his friends, and he urges them to love as he loved them. This is Jesus’ commandment.
The Epistle Lesson for the Third Sunday in Lent was Romans 5:1-11. Paul says that we have been made one with God through Jesus’ faithfulness. It certainly isn’t our own faithfulness, as we always come up short. Paul also speaks of how suffering and hope often are traveling companions. We all know that suffering is a part of living. And it is hope that separates people with a Christian spirit from those who have only a spirit of gloom and doom. As Paul often said, we are to be imitators of the Christ. We modern people are not really comfortable with the word imitate because we usually think of “cheap imitations.” But Paul says we are to walk like Jesus, talk like Jesus, act like Jesus, and love like Jesus. John Wesley says we know we are on the road to Christian Perfection when we have a heart “habitually filled with love of God and neighbor.”
We have two ministries this week: Tuesday at Holiday Nursing Center and Thursday, Lakeside Village Assisted Living. Both start at 2:00. We are collecting cans of chili all month to donate to Community Christian Services. Next month we will collect toothpaste and toothbrushes. Fannie announced that the Watson family will once again host an Easter Sunrise Service starting at 7:00 AM Easter Sunday at her home. A cousin of Dock’s from Houston will bring the message.
“Whoever you are, in whatever faith you were born, whatever creed you profess; if you come to this house to find God you are welcome here.” Paxton United Methodist Church is an inviting church that takes to heart the idea of “Open Doors, Open Hearts, Open Minds.” Sunday School starts at 9:30 and Worship begins at 10:00. Our email address is paxtonumc@yahoo.com. If you would like the weekly email newsletter about Paxton Methodist you can send me your email address to the Paxton email address and I will add you to the list. God’s Speed!
